The General Nursing Council, chaired by Florentino Pérez Raya, from Córdoba, also president of the Andalusian Nursing Council and the College of Córdoba, denies irregularities in the organization of the trip of almost 40 people by this body in June 2019 on the occasion of of the World Congress of Nursing held in Singapore. A trip that, according to El País has published, investigates the Court of Instruction number 31 of Madrid for alleged crimes of unfair administration, misappropriation and falsehood.
According to this research, only the president attended the congress days (the Council says that other members of the board also attended) while more than thirty people, including provincial presidents and other guests, only went to the inauguration and followed a route of pleasure through Cambodia and Vietnam, a trip valued in full for all participants at more than 365,000 euros. Including gifts valued at more than 21,000 euros. Its price, according to the investigation, was advanced by the participants to a travel agency, although later the Council returned the money to them via salary or invoices.
Something that the former president has denied
The General Council of Nursing has issued a statement denying any illegality on this trip and explaining that it was paid as an incentive trip with the insurance companies with which it works, except for those who could not benefit and paid for it out of pocket. And it points to the former president of the Council for more than 30 years and at that time an international advisor, Máximo González Jurado, and his brother and then his manager, Julio González Jurado, as organizers of the trip. Something that the former president has denied.
Both were fired, according to this letter, for breaches of trust and detected irregularities. In fact, the current management assures that it has filed complaints against them for misappropriation and unfair administration for allegedly charging the Council with personal expenses. In one of them, this statement points out, the opening of an oral trial has been ordered.
The complaint to the court for the trip has come, according to the Council, from someone close to them, the president of the Autonomous Nursing Council of Castilla y León, Alfredo Escaja. The CGE explains that he lost his election to his council “a few months ago” although he refuses to leave office.
For the General Council of Nursing, this complaint is the consequence of not yielding to the “pressure” of them not to investigate possible irregularities regarding the previous management.
The statement emphasizes that the denounced events “do not constitute any illegality.” And that they will have “full collaboration with justice” to clarify the circumstances of this trip.
